Overlord: Volume 12 manga review

Overlord Volume 12 cover image

Overlord asks the question, “What do you do when your favorite game shuts down?”  The 22nd century saw the release of YGGDRASIL, a DMMORPG, or “Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.”  After an intense twelve-year run, the YGGDRASIL game servers are about to be shut down.  Momon decides to stay logged in right up until the very end, but when the servers go dark, he finds himself transported into the game world.  Now, he's been transformed into his skeletal avatar from the game, awesome magical powers included.  But what if he's the villain of his own story?

As Overlord, Vol. 12 (Chapters 44.5 to 49) opens, the “Bug Maid” has arrived.  Now, it is up to two members of the “Blue Roses,” the knight, Gagaran, and the ninja, Tia, to defeat her... except they can't.  They will need the help of the mysterious magic user and warrior, “Evileye,” but when she gains the advantage, another player enters the fray.  He is the demon Jaldabaoth, and he is unbelievably powerful.  So, another player enters – Momon, but this skirmish is just the beginning.

At last, Demiurge's schemes in the kingdom begin bearing fruit.  Between Jaldaboath and a powerful fighter capable of manipulating insects, the beleaguered humans have no choice but to rely on the Blue Roses to save a city.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Overlord manga is new to me.  I have never read the Overlord light novel series written by Kugane Maruyama and illustrated by so-bin.  The work on the manga, drawn by Hugin Miyama from a scenario by Satoshi Oshio, does make me curious about the novels.

Overlord Graphic Novel Volume 12 is mostly battle manga.  I can't say that I find the characters particularly intriguing, but I am interested in this story line.  The English translation by Emily Balistrieri captures the narrative's sense of conspiracy, mystery, and machinations.  There is also some backstabbing going on, which captures the imagination, so I probably would feel a little better about the characters if I read more volumes.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of MMORPG-style manga will want to try the Yen Press title, Overlord.

B
6 out of 10


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